Baltimore
Books Through Bars
Our Mission
We are a volunteer organization that sends free books to incarcerated individuals throughout Maryland, with the goal of supporting literacy, self-determination, and imagination.
Our Process
1. We receive book requests by mail from incarcerated individuals throughout Maryland.
2. We find the book(s) that best match their request in our library.
3. We package and send the book(s) to the individual, in accordance with their facility's rules and restrictions.
4. The books are theirs to keep or share!
Join us!
We always need the 3Bs:
books, bills, and bodies!
You can help our mission by donating books, donating money to cover postage, or volunteering to process letters and fulfill requests.
Book Donation Guidelines
Books can be dropped off anytime on the south covered loading dock at 1794 Union Ave Baltimore, MD 21211. Look for the Maryland Book Bank sign!Please label your bag/box with "Books Through Bars."
Please note:
Books must be paperback & in good or new condition. No highlighting, underlining, margin notes, stains, or spiral-bound books. Thank you for helping us reduce package rejections!
Most needed
- Activities such as adult coloring books, puzzles, wordfind, crossword, tabletop RPG guides
-Astrology and tarot
-Conspiracies, UFOs, aliens
-Comics, manga, graphic novels
-Genre fiction: true crime, thriller, horror, urban, romance, fantasy, sci-fi
-How-To (drawing, origami, chess, knitting)
-Legal dictionaries
-Spanish language, bilingual dictionaries
-Trade, business, personal finance
-Wicca, paganism, occult
-Bodyweight workouts and yoga guides